4,450 Teams of Students to Build Robots and Engineering Skills During
2014/15 Season

MANCHESTER, N.H. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — October 20, 2014 —
FIRST®
(For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), an
international, K-12 not-for-profit organization founded by inventor
Dean
Kamen to inspire young peoples interest and participation in
science and technology, launched its 2014/2015
FIRST®
Tech Challenge (FTC®) season with an online game reveal
earlier this fall. FTC teams gathered at 52 international Kickoff events
to get a first glimpse of this seasons game:
CASCADE
EFFECTSM. An estimated 44,500 students on 4,450 teams
around the world will participate in the 2014/2015 FTC season.

FIRST Tech Challenge is a widely-accessible robotics program for
grades 7 through 12 that promotes project-based learning. Using a proven
formula to engage student interest in science, technology, engineering,
and math (STEM), FTC is one of the fastest-growing programs of its kind.
FTC is highly-scalable and easily integrates into the classroom with
measurable results. FIRST teams collaborate with
business, engineering, and science professionals, and working together,
become a focal point of the community in which they live.

Like all FIRST programs, FIRST Tech Challenge is about
more than robots, said Donald E. Bossi, FIRST President.
Through their participation, students learn the value of hard work and
creative problem-solving. As they tackle CASCADE EFFECT this season, FIRST
Tech Challenge teams must work together, share ideas, and understand
that failure is part of the road to success  much like a real-world
engineering project they would encounter in the workforce.

Using a combination of motors, controllers, wireless communications,
metal gears, and sensors, including infrared tracking (IR) and magnet
seeking, students will program their robots to operate in both
autonomous and driver-controlled modes on a specially designed field.

The object of the 2013-2014 game is to score more points than an
opponent by placing balls into rolling goals and then moving goals into
scoring areas. Points can also be awarded when balls are shot into a
center goal.
Watch
the 2014-2015 CASCADE EFFECT game video.

New this season, students who participate in FTC can be nominated for
the prestigious FIRST Deans List Award. The Award was introduced
in 2010 to celebrate outstanding student leaders who displayed exemplary
passion for and effectiveness at attaining FIRST ideals. Now FTC
Mentors will also have the opportunity to nominate students for their
outstanding leadership skills, commitment to FIRST ideals,
contributions to their team, and their effectiveness in increasing
awareness of FIRST within their schools and communities.

We are excited that FIRST Tech Challenge students are now
eligible for the FIRST Deans List Award, said Ken Johnson,
Director of FIRST Tech Challenge. This expansion allows us to
put a well-deserved spotlight on the valuable things these students are
contributing to their teams and communities.

Newly formed FTC teams, affectionately called rookies, are eligible to
apply for grants to cover the cost of their registration via the 2015 FIRST
Tech Challenge Rookie Grant Program. The grants will be distributed on a
first come, first serve basis, and there are currently fewer than 100
grants remaining. For more information:
http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/ftc/grow.

FIRST Tech Challenge Global Sponsors include Official Program
Sponsor, Rockwell Collins, and CAD and Collaboration Sponsor, PTC.

About FIRST®

Accomplished inventor
Dean
Kamen founded
FIRST®(For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989
to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people.
Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative
programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while
motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology,
and engineering. With support from over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies
and more than $20 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit
organization hosts the
FIRST®
Robotics Competition (FRC® ) for
students in Grades 9-12;
FIRST®
Tech Challenge (FTC® ) for Grades
7-12;
FIRST®
LEGO® League (FLL®
) for Grades 4-8; and
Junior
FIRST® LEGO®
League (Jr.FLL®) for Grades K-3.
Gracious
Professionalism® is a way of doing things that
encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and
respects individuals and the community. To learn more about FIRST ,
go to
www.usfirst.org .